Toxoplasma gondii infection in patients with brain tumors in Southern Iran: a case-control study

AbstractConsiderable evidence points to a dominant role of inflammation in tumor pathology. The biological response of the immune system can be triggered byToxoplasma gondii as a common brain-tropic parasite. The aim of this study was to investigate an association betweenToxoplasma infection and brain tumors. This case-control study was performed on sera of brain tumor patients (n  = 124) and age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 124) in Southern Iran. Data related to tumor site and type were collected during sample collection. Anti-Toxoplasma IgG was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seroprevalence anti-Toxoplasma IgG was significantly higher in brain tumor patients 30.6% (38/124) compared with 12.1% (15/124) of the healthy controls (OR 3.211; 95% CI 1.658 to 6.219;p = 0.001). The highest seroprevalence was detected in patients with ependymoma (100%), followed by glioblastoma (83%), pituitary adenoma (47.3%), astrocytoma (27.2%), schwannoma (23%), and meningioma (22.6%). The parasite infection was correlated to brain tumor’s location i.e., the patients wi th frontal lobe and sella region tumors had higher seropositivity compared with others (P <  0.05). The higher prevalence ofToxoplasma infection among patients with brain tumor compared with the control group indicates a probable association between the infection and brain tumors.
Source: Journal of Parasitic Diseases - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research